Morrell's family are victims too

I have read The Hook's articles about the sad state of affairs surrounding Will Morrell that have resulted in certain bills not being paid, embarrassment and hardship for others, one person's dreams of hiking the Appalachian Trail and writing a book not fulfilled, and Morrell himself in federal custody awaiting a court date. It's all quite tragic.

However, the greater tragedy is that he has tarnished the reputation of his wife and left her and their two small children nearly destitute. As she struggles to find a job, she also has to provide comfort for children left desolate by the loss of their father.

Her fault, if it is indeed a fault, was in trusting her husband to take care of their finances while she devoted her energy to nurturing the children. It may seem hard to believe in this day of two-career couples that there still are women out there who give up their careers to devote their time and energy to being good mothers, a challenging and time consuming task. But there are many, and she was one.

I have known Jenny for over 15 years. She is a very honest and kind person. She is also very trusting. For any check she wrote, she assumed that there was money to cover it because she had been assured that that was so, and for all of their marriage that had been true.

She is now going through an extremely difficult time trying to rebuild her life– a life that has been shattered by this terrible turn of events. Fortunately, there are some kind people in Charlottesville, and caring agencies including her church, who do not judge her by rumor or innuendo but by her character and honesty, and have the grace to help others rebuild their lives with dignity.